knock
verb /nɒk/
/nɑːk/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they knock | /nɒk/ /nɑːk/ |
| he / she / it knocks | /nɒks/ /nɑːks/ |
| past simple knocked | /nɒkt/ /nɑːkt/ |
| past participle knocked | /nɒkt/ /nɑːkt/ |
| -ing form knocking | /ˈnɒkɪŋ/ /ˈnɑːkɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to hit a door, etc. in order to attract attention synonym rap
- He knocked three times and waited.
- knock at/on something I knocked on the door and went straight in.
- Somebody was knocking on the window.
Extra Examples- Dobson walked straight into her office without knocking.
- Someone knocked loudly at the door.
- She knocked timidly on the study door and entered.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- loudly
- gently
- lightly
- …
- at
- on
- without knocking
- [transitive, intransitive] to hit something hard, often by accident
- knock something against/on something Be careful you don't knock your head on this low beam.
- knock against/on something Her hand knocked against the glass.
- knock something She dropped the pile of books when he accidentally knocked her shoulder.
Extra ExamplesTopics Illnessb1- The door's very low—mind you don't knock your head!
- The stick knocked against the wall.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accidentally
- against
- off
- on
- …
- knock somebody/something flying
- knock somebody off balance
- knock somebody off their feet
- …
- [transitive] to hit something so that it moves or breaks
- knock something + adv./prep. He'd knocked over a glass of water.
- I knocked the nail into the wall.
- They had to knock the door down to get in.
- He had knocked one of the pictures off the wall.
- The boys were knocking (= kicking) a ball around in the back yard.
- knock something (figurative) The criticism had knocked (= damaged) her self-esteem.
Synonyms hithit- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against somebody/something with force, especially causing damage or injury:
- The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- knock to hit something so that it moves or breaks; to put somebody/something into a particular state or position by hitting them/it:
- Someone had knocked a hole in the wall.
- bang to hit something in a way that makes a loud noise:
- The baby was banging the table with his spoon.
- strike (formal) to hit somebody/something hard:
- The ship struck a rock.
- bump to hit somebody/something by accident:
- In the darkness I bumped into a chair.
- bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:
- I braked too late, bashing into the car in front.
- to hit/knock/bang/bump/bash against somebody/something
- to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something
- to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall
Extra Examples- I accidentally knocked over his drink.
- Mind you don't knock that glass over.
- I accidentally knocked the vase off the table.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accidentally
- against
- off
- on
- …
- knock somebody/something flying
- knock somebody off balance
- knock somebody off their feet
- …
- [transitive] to put somebody/something into a particular state by hitting them/it
- knock somebody/something + adj. The blow knocked me flat.
- He was knocked senseless by the blow.
- knock somebody/something doing something She knocked my drink flying.
- knock somebody/something + adv./prep. The two rooms had been knocked into one (= the wall between them had been knocked down).
Synonyms hithit- knock
- bang
- strike
- bump
- bash
- hit to come against somebody/something with force, especially causing damage or injury:
- The boy was hit by a speeding car.
- knock to hit something so that it moves or breaks; to put somebody/something into a particular state or position by hitting them/it:
- Someone had knocked a hole in the wall.
- bang to hit something in a way that makes a loud noise:
- The baby was banging the table with his spoon.
- strike (formal) to hit somebody/something hard:
- The ship struck a rock.
- bump to hit somebody/something by accident:
- In the darkness I bumped into a chair.
- bash (informal) to hit against something very hard:
- I braked too late, bashing into the car in front.
- to hit/knock/bang/bump/bash against somebody/something
- to knock/bang/bump/bash into somebody/something
- to hit/strike the ground/floor/wall
Extra Examples- The blow knocked him unconscious.
- The explosion knocked him off his feet.
- He was knocked flying as two policemen came crashing through the door.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- accidentally
- against
- off
- on
- …
- knock somebody/something flying
- knock somebody off balance
- knock somebody off their feet
- …
- [transitive] knock something + adv./prep. to make a hole in something by hitting it hard
- They managed to knock a hole in the wall.
- [intransitive] if your heart knocks, it beats hard; if your knees knock, they shake, for example from fear
- My heart was knocking wildly.
- [intransitive] to make a regular sound of metal hitting metal, especially because there is something wrong
- [transitive] knock somebody/something (informal) to criticize somebody/something, especially when it happens unfairly
- The newspapers are always knocking the England team.
- It may sound pretty childish, but don't knock it until you've tried it.
More Like This Silent lettersSilent letters- gnarled
- gnash
- gnat
- gnaw
- gnome
- haute cuisine
- heir
- herb
- honour
- hors d’oeuvre
- hour
- knack
- knee
- kneel
- knife
- knight
- knit
- knob
- knock
- knot
- know
- knuckle
- psalm
- psephology
- psychic
- ptarmigan
- pterodactyl
- psychology
- wrangle
- wrap
- wreath
- wreck
- wrench
- wrestle
- wriggle
- wring
- write
- wrong
- bomb
- climb
- crumb
- doubt
- lamb
- limb
- ascent
- fascinate
- muscle
- scene
- scissors
- height
- right
- sleigh
- weight
- align
- campaign
- design
- foreign
- malign
- reign
- unfeigned
- balmy
- calm
- calf
- half
- yolk
- autumn
- column
- condemn
- damn
- hymn
- solemn
- bristle
- fasten
- listen
- mortgage
- soften
- thistle
- wrestle
- biscuit
- build
- circuit
- disguise
- guilty
- league
- rogue
- vague
- yacht
- answer
- sword
- two
at door/window
hit
of heart/knees
of engine/pipes
criticize
Word OriginOld English cnocian, of imitative origin.
Idioms
bang/knock your/their heads together
- (informal) to force people to stop arguing and behave in a sensible wayTopics Opinion and argumentc2
beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody
- (informal) to hit somebody very hard several times and hurt them very much
- Get out or I’ll beat the living daylights out of you!
beat/kick (the) hell out of somebody/something | knock hell out of somebody/something
- (informal) to hit somebody/something very hard
- He was a dirty player and loved to kick hell out of the opposition.
blow/knock somebody’s socks off
- (informal) to surprise or impress somebody very muchTopics Feelingsc2
get/knock/lick somebody into shape
- to train somebody so that they do a particular job, task, etc. well
- It took him just two weeks to knock the new recruits into shape.
- Leave the boy with me—I'll soon knock him into shape!
get/knock/lick something into shape
- to make something more acceptable, organized or successful
- I've got all the information together but it still needs knocking into shape.
- It shouldn’t take long to get the company back into shape.
hit/knock somebody for six
- (British English) to affect somebody very deeply
- The business over the lawsuit had really knocked her for six.
I’ll knock your block/head off!
- (informal) used to threaten somebody that you will hit them
knock somebody dead
- (informal) to impress somebody very much
- You look fabulous—you'll knock 'em dead tonight.
knock somebody/something into a cocked hat
- (British English, old-fashioned) to be very much better than somebody/something
- She knocks the rest of the cast into a cocked hat.
knock it off!
- (informal) used to tell somebody to stop making a noise, annoying you, etc.
- Knock it off, kids—I’m trying to work.
knock somebody off their pedestal/perch
- to make somebody lose their position as somebody/something successful or admired
- A lot of teams are looking to knock us off our perch.
knock something on the head
- (British English, informal) to stop something from happening; to stop doing something
- The recession knocked on the head any idea of expanding the company.
- By eleven o’clock we were all tired so we knocked it on the head.
knock on wood (North American English)
(British English touch wood)
- (saying) used when talking about your previous good luck or your hopes for the future, to avoid bringing bad luck
- I've been driving for over 20 years and never had an accident—knock on wood!
knock somebody sideways
- (informal) to surprise or shock somebody so much that they are unable to react immediatelyTopics Feelingsc2
knock/talk some sense into somebody
- to try and persuade somebody to stop behaving in a stupid way, sometimes using rough or violent methods
- Try and talk some sense into her before she makes the wrong decision.
- Where would I be without you to knock some sense into my head?
knock spots off somebody/something
- (British English, informal) to be very much better than somebody/something
- She knocks spots off all the other candidates.
knock the stuffing out of somebody
- (informal) to make somebody lose their confidence and enthusiasm
you could have knocked me down with a feather
- (informal) used to express surprise